Citing Print and Electronic Documents

MLA Style

This guide is intended as a general introduction to citing sources using the bibliographic style established by the Modern Language Association (MLA). For more complete details, see the most recent edition of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers ref LB2369 .G53 2003. Note that this manual also includes essential information on research and writing, and manuscript preparation (e.g., margins, use of the passive voice).

In-Text Citations: General Guidelines

Format of the citation:

Provide the author's last name and the page number (Smith 10).
But... do not repeat the author's name in your citation if you have included it in your text.

Location references in electronic sources:

Do not include page numbers or location references in electronic documents.

In-Text Citations: Text Sample

Note: In an MLA style manuscript, the text below would be double-spaced, with no extra space between paragraphs. But because of the limitations of HTML, that's difficult to show here.

The custom of citing references – that is, providing a record of the sources you have used for your research – is a form of professional honesty and courtesy that is based on a regard for the responsibilities that writers have to readers and to other writers to indicate when they have used someone else's ideas or words.

Citing sources also strengthens the authority of your work, by demonstrating that you have considered others' opinions and ideas in forming your own. In addition, it gives the the reader valuable information, indicating where he or she may go to get further information on that subject; for many researchers, the list of cited references at the end of a relevant article or book is the single most valuable item they can come across in their research.

Accuracy in citing references is highly regarded, and essential in helping others locate the materials you used in your research. Consider the following, from the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th ed.:

Because one purpose of listing references is to enable readers to retrieve and use the sources, reference data must be correct and complete [...]. Authors are responsible for all information in their reference lists. Accurately prepared references help establish your credibility as a careful researcher. An inaccurate or incomplete reference "will stand in print as an annoyance to future investigators and a monument to the writer's carelessness" (qtd. in Bruner: 68) (216).

Because of the importance of citing references, the scholarly community has agreed on several standards – found in style manuals – to use when citing a reference or compiling a bibliography. Many different styles exist; the following list represents the most commonly used or prominent styles.

Works Cited

Bruner, Katherine F. "Of Psychological Writing: Being Some Valedictory Remarks on Style." Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology 37 (1942): 52-70.

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. 5th ed. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2001.

Works Cited: General Guidelines

Items are presented in alphabetical order by the first author's last name, or, if no author is listed, by the first element of the citation (generally the title).
Use hanging indents.
Underlining is preferred over the use of italics.
During your research, develop a consistent system for noting bibliographic information (author, title, date, publisher, source, page numbers) and keep it with your notes or copies of the source material you used.
Always consult your professor/department/publisher for specific requirements.

Sample List of Works Cited